Economics and Finance

2409 Submissions

[3] viXra:2409.0159 [pdf] submitted on 2024-09-29 00:07:27

The Limited Scope of Economic Science in Explaining Altruism

Authors: Weston Koyama
Comments: 9 Pages.

This paper explores the concept of altruism within economic systems, defined here as actions that consciously act against one’s own economic self-interest. We begin with a review of economic literature where altruism is scarcely mentioned but indirectly addressed in discussions of regulatory frameworks, property rights, and market dynamics. Biological theories of altruism, specifically inclusive fitness, are then examined to highlight how evolutionary biology explains self-sacrificial behavior, such as kamikaze and suicide attacks, in ways that contrast sharply with economic models based on rational self-interest. Using a Nash Equilibrium model, we predict how altruism functions in real-world economic transactions, outlining interactions between fake altruism, semi-altruism, and pure altruism, and demonstrating that pure altruism leads to consistent economic losses for the altruistic individual. Simulation results show that injecting 30% altruism into a scarcity-driven economy results in widespread poverty for most participants, confirming that pure altruism is unsustainable in such environments. However, cultural conditioning, as demonstrated through Hofstede’s model of national cultures, suggests that altruism is a more complex and variable phenomenon than simple economic or biological models account for. This paper concludes that more research is needed to incorporate cultural, psychological, and environmental factors into the study of altruism in economic science, as current models oversimplify the nuanced landscape of altruistic behavior.
Category: Economics and Finance

[2] viXra:2409.0061 [pdf] submitted on 2024-09-12 19:00:47

Population Increase and Control

Authors: Bertrand Wong
Comments: 22 Pages.

People are apparently reluctant to have children or more children due to job and financial insecurity, and other reasons, e.g., desire for independence and freedom, women wanting to focus on their jobs and career development instead of giving birth and becoming housewives, etc. Declining birth-rates are apparently now a concern to many countries, e.g., China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, etc., for the young are needed to replace an aging work-force. This paper takes an analytical look at the declining birth-rates and increasing the birth-rate and population, and offers some suggestions for a solution to this complex problem. Many of the scenarios presented in the paper are derived from the author’s work experience in government dealing with labor matters and in the industrial sector dealing with automation and workers. The ideas in the paper should appeal to theorists, practitioners and social activists.
Category: Economics and Finance

[1] viXra:2409.0010 [pdf] replaced on 2024-09-04 01:02:14

Target Return of 20% or More by Improvment of Korean National Pension System

Authors: Hyun-Tak Kim
Comments: 6 Pages. 3 Figures, 1 Table

In the Korean National Assembly, people are passionately debating innovative strategies to reform the nation's defined benefit retirement pension system in light of the national pension fund’s anticipated depletion by 2055. Current proposals, such as raising pension contribution rates and income replacement rates, appear to be mere stopgap measures. We advocate for leveraging the fund through the snowball effect as a strategic solution to these challenges. This leverage could be achieved through exchange-traded funds with high return rates, although they come with high volatility. Additionally, the Korean people must adopt a defined contribution retirement pension system, similar to the 401(k) in the USA. The target return rate is set at a minimum of 20% (approximately 80% of SMH), and it is proposed that this be applied to all public pensions. (English version: http://viXra.org/abs/2407.0108)국회에서는 2055년 국민연금 고갈이 예상되는 상황에서 확정급여형(DB형) 퇴직연금 제도를 개편하기 위해 혁신적인 방안이 뜨겁게 논의되고 있습니다. 연금 기여율 인상, 소득대체율 인상 과 같은 제안된 현안은 임시방편에 불과합니다. 우리는 이러한 과제에 대한 전략적 해결책으로 눈덩이(복리) 효과를 통해 기금을 최대로 증가시키는 것을 주장합니다. 이러한 눈덩이 효과와 같은 기금 증가 수단은 변동성이 높기는 하지만 수익률이 높은 상장지수펀드를 통해 달성할 수 있습니다. 또한 우리 국민은 미국의 401(k)와 유사한 확정기여형(DC 형) 퇴직연금 제도를 채택해야 합니다. 목표 수익율은 최소 20%(SMH의 약 80%)를 설정하며, 공적연금 모두에 적용될 것을 주장합니다. 이 목표가 달성되면, 개인은 연금백만장자, 국가는 국부창출이 가능합니다.
Category: Economics and Finance